Wednesday, July 19, 2017

the Ferrari collection in suburban Michigan, what a museum curator's driveway looked like in 1965-69

“The Vignale coupe is a 225/250MM 0266M, the GP is a 166 no. 06C, on the right is a 375Plus no. 0392AM, in the middle is the ex- Pabst 500/625 TR.”

Said Merritt, “The tall enginein front left, is the world’s oldest Harry Miller engine, dating 1917. Then an assortment of HAL DO dirt track engines along with several Mondial, TRC, a Monza 750 and Monza 860. Also a Ferrari V-12 of some sort.

About 10-15 Ferrari engines were in the basement of our tiny house, for lack of room in the garage.

Merritt explained how the Mexico found itself in front of his house. “I was the pro bono curator to help Carl Bross assemble the world’s first Ferrari collection. That would have been in 1965 or so."

Richard F. Merritt, who had worked at Ford, GM and selling Volkswagens part time, and who realized that the Ferrari would be the next Bugatti. Over the years, Merritt would buy and sell 48 of the most desirable Ferraris ever built, but his main claim to fame would come as the co-author (with Warren Fitzgerald) of the landmark “Ferrari, the Sports and Grand Turismo Cars”.